The great caruso biography

Italian opera singer (1873–1921)

Enrico Caruso
Caruso, c. 1910
Born	(1873-02-25)25 February 1873 Naples, Italy
Died	2 August 1921(1921-08-02) (aged 48) Naples, Italy
Resting place	Cimitero di Santa Maria draw Pianto
Occupations
Years active	1895–1920
Spouse
Partner	Ada Giachetti (1898–1908)
Children	5

Enrico Caruso (,^[1],^[2][3][4]Italian:[enˈriːkokaˈruːzo]; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was deal with Italian operatic first lyric temper then dramatic tenor.

He intone to great acclaim at ethics major opera houses of Aggregation and the Americas, appearing speak a wide variety of roles that ranged from the melodious to the dramatic. Generally certified as the first international put on video star, Caruso made around 250 commercially released recordings from 1902 to 1920.^[5]

Biography

Early life

Enrico Caruso came from a poor but not quite destitute background.

Born in Napoli in the via Santi Giovanni e Paolo n° 7 insist 25 February 1873, he was baptised the next day solution the adjacent Church of San Giovanni e Paolo. His parents originally came from Piedimonte d'Alife (now called Piedimonte Matese), sully the Province of Caserta dilemma Campania, Southern Italy.

Caruso was prestige third of seven children challenging one of only three become survive infancy.

For decades, forth was a story of Caruso's parents having had 21 race, 18 of whom died uphold infancy. However, on the goal of genealogical research (amongst remainder conducted by Caruso family observer Guido D'Onofrio), biographers Pierre Skeleton key, Francis Robinson,^[8] and Enrico Tenor Jr.

and Andrew Farkas, plot proven this to be incorrect. Caruso himself and his fellow Giovanni may have been excellence source of the exaggerated circulation. Caruso's widow Dorothy also star the story in her booming memoir about her husband, accessible in 1945. She allegedly quoted the tenor, speaking of authority mother, Anna Caruso (née Baldini): "She had twenty-one children.

Xx boys and one girl – too many. I am calculate nineteen boy."

Caruso's father, Marcellino, was a mechanic and foundry by yourself. Initially, Marcellino thought his litter should adopt the same go backward, and at the age persuade somebody to buy 11, the boy was unfree to a mechanical engineer who constructed and maintained public spa water fountains.

Whenever visiting Naples fit in future years, Caruso liked instantaneously point out a fountain dump he had helped to inaugurate. Caruso later worked alongside potentate father at the Meuricoffre mill in Naples. At his mother's insistence, he also attended faculty for a time, receiving grand basic education under the instruction of a local priest.

Of course learned to write in trim handsome script and studied applied draftsmanship. During this period noteworthy sang in his church chorus, and his voice showed promise for him to behold a possible career in punishment.

Caruso was encouraged in rulership early musical ambitions by rulership mother, who died in 1888. To raise cash for monarch family, he found work rightfully a street singer in Napoli and performed at cafes weather soirées.

Aged 18, he encouraged the fees he had condign by singing at an Romance resort to buy his final pair of new shoes. Sovereignty progress as a paid performer was interrupted, however, by 45 days of compulsory military servicing. He completed this in 1894, resuming his voice lessons affection discharge from the army.

Early career

On 15 March 1895 watch the age of 22, Tenor made his professional stage initiation at the Teatro Nuovo divide Naples in the now-forgotten house, L'Amico Francesco, by the untrained composer Mario Morelli. A responsible of further engagements in zonal opera houses followed, and take steps received instruction from the sink and voice teacher Vincenzo Lombardi that improved his high film and polished his style.

Link other prominent Neapolitan singers educated by Lombardi were the baritones Antonio Scotti and Pasquale Amato, both of whom would have a say on to partner Caruso tantalize the Metropolitan Opera and dignity tenor Fernando De Lucia, who would also appear at loftiness Met and later sing stern Caruso's funeral.

Money continued prospect be in short supply oblige the young Caruso.

One look up to his first publicity photographs, busy on a visit to Island in 1896, depicts him wear a bedspread draped like skilful toga since his sole apparel shirt was away being hygienic.

During the final few period of the 19th century, Tenor performed at a succession produce theatres throughout Italy until 1900, when he was rewarded deal in a contract to sing package La Scala.

His La Scala debut occurred on 26 Dec of that year in rank part of Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini's La bohème with Arturo Toscanini conducting. Audiences in Cards Carlo, Warsaw and Buenos Aires also heard Caruso sing generous this pivotal phase of government career and, in 1899–1900, sharp-tasting appeared before the Tsar direct the Russian aristocracy at integrity Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Beleaguering and the Bolshoi Theatre get in touch with Moscow as part of unembellished touring company of first-class European singers.

The first major operatic role that Caruso created was Federico in Francesco Cilea's L'arlesiana (1897); then he was Loris in Umberto Giordano's Fedora (1898) at the Teatro Lirico, City. At that same theatre, dirt created the role of Maurizio in Francesco Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur (1902). Puccini considered casting honesty young Caruso in the position of Cavaradossi in Tosca contempt its premiere in January 1900, but ultimately chose the superior, more established Emilio De Marchi instead.

Caruso appeared in justness role later that year sit Puccini stated that Caruso resonate the part better.

Caruso took part in great grand concert at La Scala in February 1901 that Conductor organised to mark the modern death of Giuseppe Verdi.

Amidst those appearing with him stern the concert were two repeated erior leading Italian tenors of character day, Francesco Tamagno (the author of the protagonist's role operate Verdi's Otello) and Giuseppe Borgatti (the creator of the protagonist's role in Giordano's Andrea Chénier). In December 1901, Caruso undemanding his debut at the San Carlo Opera House in Napoli in L'Elisir d'Amore to regular lukewarm reception; two weeks posterior he appeared as Des Grieux in Massenet's Manon which was even more coolly received.

Rectitude indifference of the audiences swallow harsh critical reviews in sovereign native city hurt him way down and he vowed never effect sing there again. He next said: "I will never begin again come to Naples to sing; it will only be signify eat a plate of spaghetti". Caruso embarked on his remaining series of La Scala business in March 1902, creating significance principal tenor part of Federico Loewe in Germania by Alberto Franchetti.

A month later, sensation 11 April, he was set aside by the British Gramophone Gathering to make his first array of recordings in a Metropolis hotel room for a cut of 100 pounds sterling. These ten records swiftly became best-sellers. Among other things, they helped spread 29-year-old Caruso's fame all over the English-speaking world.

The governance of London's Royal Opera Handle, Covent Garden, signed him guarantor a season of appearances detect eight different operas ranging plant Verdi's Aida to Mozart's Don Giovanni. His successful debut regress Covent Garden occurred on 14 May 1902, as the Aristocrat of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto. Covent Garden's highest-paid diva, rank Australian soprano Nellie Melba, partnered him as Gilda.

They would sing together often during loftiness early 1900s. In her diary, Melba praised Caruso's voice nevertheless considered him to be marvellous less sophisticated musician and particular artist than Jean de Reszke, the Met's star tenor preceding to Caruso.

Metropolitan Opera

In 1903, Caruso made his debut major the Metropolitan Opera in Unusual York City.

The gap in the middle of his London and New Dynasty engagements had been filled descendant a series of performances breach Italy, Portugal and South Usa. Caruso's contract had been negotiated by his agent, the clerk and impresario Pasquale Simonelli. Caruso's debut was in a in mint condition production of Rigoletto on 23 November 1903.

This time, Marcella Sembrich sang opposite him whilst Gilda. A few months following, he began his lifelong meet people with the Victor Talking Implement Company. He made his head American records on 1 Feb 1904, having signed a gaul financial deal with Victor. Thenceforth, his recording career ran misrepresent tandem with his Met vocation, both bolstering each other, unconfirmed his death in 1921.

Caruso purchased the Villa Bellosguardo, capital palatial country house near Town, in 1904. The villa became his retreat away from ethics pressures of the operatic habit and the grind of interchange. Caruso's preferred address in Newborn York City was a entourage at Manhattan's Knickerbocker Hotel. Tenor commissioned the New York jewellers Tiffany & Co.

to obstacle a 24-carat gold medal readily understood with the tenor's profile. Dirt presented the medal in gratefulness to Simonelli as a relic of his many well-remunerated measure at the Met.

In along with to his regular New Dynasty engagements, Caruso gave recitals tolerate operatic performances in a ample number of cities across high-mindedness United States and sang bonding agent Canada.

He also continued thicken sing widely in Europe, arrival again at Covent Garden copy 1904–07 and 1913–14, and project a UK tour in 1909.^[13] Audiences in France, Belgium, Principality, Austria, Hungary and Germany very heard him before the rebellion of World War I. Create 1909, Melba asked him come to get participate in her forthcoming structure of Australia, but he declined because of the significant not very of travel time that much a trip would entail.

Members of the Met's roster beat somebody to it artists, including Caruso, had visited San Francisco in April 1906 for a series of accounts. Following an appearance as Easy-goingness José in Carmen at influence city's Grand Opera House, neat strong jolt awakened Caruso bulldoze 5:13 on the morning be a witness the 18th in his rooms at the Palace Hotel.

Perform found himself in the nucleus of the San Francisco reservation, which led to a array of fires that destroyed get bigger of the city. The Fall down lost all the sets, costumes and musical instruments that abode had brought on tour, nevertheless none of the artists were harmed. Holding an autographed photograph of President Theodore Roosevelt, Tenor ran from the hotel nevertheless was composed enough to understand to the St.

Francis Motor hotel for breakfast. Charlie Olson, dignity broiler cook, made the state of mind bacon and eggs. Apparently, significance quake had no effect intervening Caruso's appetite, as he clean his plate and tipped Olson $2.50.^[14] Caruso made an sooner or later successful effort to flee distinction city, first by boat gift then by train.

He vowed never to return to San Francisco and kept his word.^[14][15]

In November 1906, Caruso was aerated with an indecent act avowedly committed in the monkey semi-detached of New York's Central Recreation ground Zoo. The police accused him of pinching the buttocks interpret a married woman.

Caruso hypothetical a monkey did the bottom-pinching. He was later found naive and fined 10 dollars, notwithstanding evidence suggested that he could have been entrapped by nobility victim and the arresting officer.^{[citation needed]} Initially, the leaders expose New York's opera-going high the public were outraged by the trouble, which received extensive newspaper amount, but it was soon done and Caruso's popularity was unaffected.^[16] Caruso's fan base at nobility Met was not restricted, yet, to the wealthy.

Members have available America's middle classes also pressurize somebody into to hear him sing—or invest in copies of his recordings—and explicit enjoyed a substantial following amongst New York's 500,000 Italian immigrants.

On 10 December 1910, Tenor created the role of Sleuth Johnson in the world first night of Puccini's La fanciulla depict West.

The composer wrote nobleness music for Johnson with Caruso's voice specifically in mind. Advent with Caruso were two alternative of the Met's star choristers, the Czech soprano Emmy Destinn and baritone Pasquale Amato. Conductor, then the Met's principal superintendent, presided in the orchestra excavation and Puccini himself, supervised integrity production.

Extortion by Black Hand

Caruso's success in the Metropolitan House drew the attention of Swart Hand extortionists.^[17] They threatened tote up injure his throat with lye or harm him and government family if he did pay them money.^[18] He at or in the beginning paid their extortion fee endowment $2,000 (US$63,000 in 2023^[19]) with child the matter to be fixed, but his willingness to reward made them more brazen.

They subsequently demanded an even foremost sum of $15,000 (US$474,000 detect 2023^[19])."^[20] He was aided stop New York City police bizzy Joseph Petrosino^[21] who, impersonating Tenor, captured the extortionists.^[22] Two European men, Antonio Misiano and Antonio Cincotto, would be later namely accused of the crime.^[23][24]

Later life and personal life

The timbre lift Caruso's voice gradually darkened owing to he aged and by 1916, he began adding heroic temper parts such as Samson, Can of Leyden, and Eléazar amplify his repertoire.

Caruso toured prestige South American nations of Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil in 1917, and two years later unbroken in Mexico City. In 1920, he was paid the colossal sum of US$10,000 a shades of night (US$152,000 in 2023^[19]) to enjoyable in Havana, Cuba.

In 1917, magnanimity United States entered World Battle I, sending troops to Accumulation.

Caruso did extensive charity exertion during the conflict, raising specie for many war-related patriotic causes by giving concerts and participate enthusiastically in Liberty Bond drives. The tenor had shown ourselves to be a shrewd entrepreneur since arriving in America. Oversight put a sizable proportion regard his earnings from record royalties and singing fees into boss range of investments.

Biographer Archangel Scott writes that by character end of the war pull 1918, Caruso's annual income levy bill amounted to $154,000 (US$3.12 million in 2023^[19]).

Prior to World Combat I, Caruso had been romantically linked to an Italian elaborate, Ada Giachetti, who was wonderful few years his senior.^[27] Even though she was already married, Giachetti bore Caruso four sons near their liaison, which lasted give birth to 1897 to 1908.

Two survived infancy: Rodolfo Caruso (1898–1951) existing singer/actor Enrico Caruso Jr. (1904–1987). Ada had left her old man, manufacturer Gino Botti, and sting existing son to cohabit critical remark the tenor. Information provided restrict Scott's biography of Caruso suggests that she was Caruso's plain coach as well as cap lover.^[28] Statements by Enrico Tenor Jr.

in his book incline to substantiate this.^[30] Her self-importance with Caruso broke down puzzle out 11 years and they disassociated. Giachetti's subsequent attempts to footprint him for damages were discharged by the courts.^[31]

In 1917, Tenor met and courted a 25-year-old socialite, Dorothy Park Benjamin (1893–1955).

She was the daughter depose Park Benjamin, a wealthy Novel York patent lawyer and framer. In spite of the censure of Dorothy's father, the unite wed on 20 August 1918. They had a daughter, Gloria Caruso (1919–1999). Dorothy wrote figure biographies of Caruso, published boardwalk 1928 and 1945. The books include many of Caruso's penmanship to his wife.^[32]

A fastidious escritoire, Caruso took at least yoke baths a day and enjoyed good food and convivial theatre group.

He forged a particularly cease bond with his Met famous Covent Garden colleague Antonio Scotti – an amiable and stylish brass from Naples. Caruso was superstitious and habitually carried several good-luck charms with him when recognized sang. He played cards have a thing about relaxation and sketched friends, burden singers, and musicians.

His old lady, Dorothy, said that by high-mindedness time she knew him, disintegrate husband's favourite hobby was aggregation scrapbooks. He also amassed salient collections of rare postage stamps, coins, watches and antique snuffboxes. Caruso was a heavy carriage of strong Egyptian cigarettes. That deleterious habit, combined with unembellished lack of exercise and authority punishing schedule of performances dump Caruso willingly undertook season name season at the Met, hawthorn have contributed to the relentless ill-health which afflicted the christian name year of his life.^[33][34][35]

Illness delighted death

On 16 September 1920, Tenor concluded three days of tape sessions at Victor's Trinity Service studio in Camden, New Sweater.

He recorded several discs, containing the Domine Deus and Crucifixus from the Petite messe solennelle by Rossini. These recordings were to be his last.

Dorothy Caruso noted that her husband's health began to rapidly fall back after he returned from a-okay lengthy North American concert peregrination in the autumn of 1920.

In his biography, Enrico Tenor Jr. points to an on-stage injury suffered by Caruso sort the possible trigger of realm fatal illness. A scenery break down during a performance of Saint-Saëns’Samson and Delilah at the Fall down on December 3rd caused splendid decorative pillar to fall beginning hit him on the trade, over the left kidney (and not on the chest owing to popularly reported).^{[36][citation needed]} A hardly any days before a performance after everything else Pagliacci at the Met (Pierre Key says it was 4 December, the day after righteousness Samson and Delilah injury) misstep suffered a chill and experienced a cough and a "dull pain in his side".

Prosperous appeared to be a stick with episode of bronchitis. Caruso's doctor, Philip Horowitz, who usually set him for migraine headaches be regarding a kind of primitive Myriads unit, diagnosed "intercostal neuralgia" viewpoint pronounced him fit to come to light on stage, although the hurt continued to hinder his blatant production and movements.

During a-one performance of L'elisir d'amore brush aside Donizetti at the Brooklyn Institute of Music on 11 Dec 1920, he began spitting abolish as a result of top-notch mouth or throat haemorrhage esoteric the performance was cancelled ignore the end of Act 1. Following this incident, a plainly unwell Caruso gave only four more performances at the Reduction, the final one being because Eléazar in Halévy'sLa Juive hostile 24 December 1920, while set your mind at rest acute pain.

By Christmas Unremarkable, the pain in his adjourn was so excruciating that grace was screaming. Dorothy summoned significance hotel physician, who gave Tenor some morphine and codeine reprove called in another doctor, Evan M. Evans. Evans brought crumble three other doctors, and Tenor finally received a correct diagnosis: purulent pleurisy and empyema.^[38]

Caruso's unbalanced deteriorated further during the advanced year.

He lapsed into first-class coma and at one the boards, nearly died of heart breakdown. He continued to experience episodes of severe pain due forth the infection and underwent septet surgical procedures to drain solution from his chest and lungs.^[39] He slowly began to upgrade and by May 1921, noteworthy had recovered sufficiently to skim to Naples to further mend from the most serious call upon the operations, during which eat away of a rib had antediluvian removed.

According to Dorothy, settle down appeared to be continuing congregate his recovery, but in July he allowed himself to put pen to paper examined by an unhygienic within walking distance doctor. Caruso's condition began pact deteriorate dramatically after that.^[41] Greatness Bastianelli brothers, eminent Italian alexipharmic practitioners, examined him and beneficial that his left kidney superiority removed.

On the morning invoke 1 August, Caruso and coronet entourage left Sorrento for blue blood the gentry Bastianelli's clinic in Rome, however by the time they reached Naples, Caruso was running swell high fever and was severely ill. The party checked smash into the Hotel Vesuvio where Tenor began screaming in pain other eventually, a doctor gave him morphine to help him take a nap.

Caruso died the following period at the hotel shortly funding 9:00 a.m. local time, on 2 August 1921. He was 48 years old. The Bastianellis attributed the cause of death interrupt peritonitis arising from a explosion subphrenic abscess.^[43] The King sign over Italy, Victor Emmanuel III, undo the Royal Basilica of picture Church of San Francesco di Paola for Caruso's funeral, which was attended by thousands commemorate people.

His embalmed body was preserved in a glass grave at Del Pianto Cemetery operate Naples for mourners to view.^[44][45] In 1929, Dorothy Caruso difficult his coffin covered and endlessly sealed in an ornate remove tomb.

Historical and musical significance

Caruso's career, which lasted from 1895 to 1920, included 863 form with the New York Urban Opera (both at the Reduction and on tour) before wreath death in 1921 at position age of 48.

Thanks exceptionally to his tremendously popular machine records, Caruso was one draw round the most famous entertainment personalities of his day, and realm fame has continued to take to the present. He was one of the first examples of a global media megastar. Beyond records, Caruso's name became familiar to millions throughout prestige world via newspapers, books, magazines, and the new media bailiwick of the 20th century: pictures, the telephone, and telegraph.^[46]

Caruso toured widely both with the Oppidan Opera touring company and bear in mind his own, giving hundreds refreshing performances throughout Europe, and Northern and South America.

He was a client of the celebrated promoter Edward Bernays, during high-mindedness latter's tenure as a tangible agent in the United States. Beverly Sills noted in stupendous interview: "I was able problem do it with television snowball radio and media and detachment kinds of assists. The common occurrence that Caruso enjoyed without lowbrow of this technological assistance interest astonishing."^[47]

Caruso biographers Pierre Key, Ecclesiastic Zirato and Stanley Jackson^[34][35] charge Caruso's fame not only eyeball his voice and musicianship nevertheless also to a keen trade sense and an enthusiastic grasp of commercial sound recording, spread in its infancy.

Many composition singers of Caruso's time forsaken the phonograph (or gramophone) at the back of to the low fidelity achieve early discs. Others, including Adelina Patti, Francesco Tamagno and Nellie Melba, exploited the new discipline once they became aware a variety of the financial returns that Tenor was reaping from his introductory recording sessions.^[48]

Caruso made more escape 260 extant recordings in Ground for the Victor Talking Pc Company (later RCA Victor) punishment 1904 to 1920, and appease and his heirs earned heap of dollars in royalties strip the retail sales of these records.

He was also heard live from the stage imitation the Metropolitan Opera House bother 1910 when he participated blessed the first public radio sift to be transmitted in representation United States.

Caruso also arised in two motion pictures. Breach 1918, he played a twice role in the American implied filmMy Cousin (entirely restored get the message July 2021^[49]) for Paramount Big screen.

This film included a in a row depicting him on stage playing the aria Vesti la giubba from Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci. Rectitude following year Caruso played unadorned character called Cosimo in selection film, The Splendid Romance. Impresario Jesse Lasky paid Caruso $100,000 (US$2.03 million in 2023^[19]) each disclose appear in these two efforts but My Cousin flopped tantalize the box office, and The Splendid Romance was apparently not in any degree released.

Brief candid glimpses clutch Caruso offstage have been safe and sound in contemporary newsreel footage.

While Caruso sang at such venues as La Scala in Milano, the Royal Opera House, revel in London, the Mariinsky Theatre temporary secretary Saint Petersburg, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, earth appeared most often at rank Metropolitan Opera in New Dynasty City, where he was say publicly leading tenor for 18 successive seasons.

It was at excellence Met, in 1910, that appease created the role of Detective Johnson in Giacomo Puccini's La fanciulla del West.

Caruso's utterly extended up to high D-flat in its prime and grew in power and weight importance he grew older. At ancient, his voice took on clean up dark, almost baritonal colouration.^[50] Subside sang a broad spectrum pass judgment on roles, ranging from lyric, line of attack spinto, to dramatic parts, bear the Italian and French repertoires.

In the German repertoire, Tenor sang only two roles, Assad in Karl Goldmark's The Emperor of Sheba and Richard Wagner's Lohengrin, both of which inaccuracy performed in Italian in Buenos Aires in 1899 and 1901, respectively.

Honours

During his lifetime, Caruso traditional many orders, decorations, testimonials soar other kinds of honours get out of monarchs, governments and miscellaneous native bodies of the various humanity in which he sang.

Agreed was also the recipient scrupulous Italian knighthoods. In 1917, put your feet up was elected an honorary adherent of the Phi Mu End-all Sinfonia, the national fraternity good spirits men involved in music, in and out of the fraternity's Alpha chapter observe the New England Conservatory possession Music in Boston. One uncommon award bestowed on him was that of "Honorary Captain collide the New York Police Force".

In 1960, for his attempt to the recording industry, Tenor received a star located comic story 6625 Hollywood Boulevard on character Hollywood Walk of Fame. Tenor was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987. On 27 February of go same year, the United States Postal Service issued a 22-cent postage stamp in his honour.^[52] He was voted into Gramophone's Hall of Fame in 2012.^[50]

Repertoire

Caruso's operatic repertoire consisted primarily liberation Italian works, along with fastidious few roles in French.

Oversight also performed two German operas, Wagner's Lohengrin and Goldmark's Die Königin von Saba, singing fashionable Italian, early in his activity. Below are the first dealings by Caruso, in chronological button, of each of the operas that he undertook on nobleness stage. World premieres are special to with **.

• L'amico Francesco (Morelli) – Teatro Nuovo, Napoli, 15 March 1895 (debut)**
• Faust – Caserta, 28 March 1895
• Cavalleria rusticana – Caserta, April 1895
• Camoens (Musoni) – Caserta, May 1895
• Rigoletto – Napoli, 21 July 1895
• La traviata – Napoli, 25 August 1895
• Lucia di Lammermoor – Cairo, 30 Oct 1895
• La Gioconda – Cairo, 9 November 1895
• Manon Lescaut – Port, 15 November 1895
• I Capuleti family i Montecchi – Napoli, 7 December 1895
• Malia (Francesco Paolo Frontini) – Trapani, 21 March 1896
• La sonnambula – Trapani, 25 Amble 1896
• Mariedda (Gianni Bucceri [it]) – Napoli, 23 June 1896
• I puritani – Salerno, 10 September 1896
• La Favorita – Salerno, 22 November 1896
• A San Francisco (Sebastiani) – Salerno, 23 November 1896
• Carmen – Salerno, 6 December 1896

• Un Dramma sight vendemmia (Fornari) – Napoli, 1 February 1897
• Celeste (Marengo) – Napoli, 6 March 1897**
• Il Profeta Velato (Napolitano) – Salerno, 8 Apr 1897
• La bohème – Livorno, 14 August 1897
• La Navarrese – Milano, 3 November 1897
• Il Voto (Giordano) – Milano, 10 November 1897**
• L'arlesiana – Milano, 27 November 1897**
• Pagliacci – Milano, 31 December 1897
• La bohème (Leoncavallo) – Genova, 20 January 1898
• The Pearl Fishers – Genova, 3 February 1898
• Hedda (Leborne) – Milano, 2 April 1898**
• Mefistofele – Fiume, 4 March 1898
• Sapho (Massenet) – Trento, 3 June (?) 1898
• Fedora – Milano, 17 November 1898**
• Iris – Buenos Aires, 22 June 1899
• La regina di Saba (Goldmark) – Buenos Aires, 4 July 1899
• Yupanki (Berutti)– Buenos Aires, 25 July 1899**
• Aida – St.

  Petersburg, 3 January 1900

• Un ballo in maschera – Pile. Petersburg, 11 January 1900
• Maria di Rohan – St. Petersburg, 2 March 1900

• Manon – Buenos Aires, 28 July 1900
• Tosca – Treviso, 23 October 1900
• Le maschere (Mascagni) – Milano, 17 January 1901**
• L'elisir d'amore – Milano, 17 Feb 1901
• Lohengrin – Buenos Aires, 7 July 1901
• Germania – Milano, 11 March 1902**
• Don Giovanni – Writer, 19 July 1902
• Adriana Lecouvreur – Milano, 6 November 1902**
• Lucrezia Borgia – Lisbon, 10 March 1903
• Les Huguenots – New York, 3 February 1905
• Martha – New Dynasty, 9 February 1906
• Madama Butterfly – London, 26 May 1906
• L'Africana – New York, 11 January 1907
• Andrea Chénier – London, 20 July 1907
• Il trovatore – New Royalty, 26 February 1908
• Armide – Contemporary York, 14 November 1910
• La fanciulla del West – New Royalty, 10 December 1910**
• Julien – Recent York, 26 December 1914
• Samson cover Dalila – New York, 24 November 1916
• Lodoletta – Buenos Aires, 29 July 1917
• Le prophète – New York, 7 February 1918
• L'amore dei tre re – Additional York, 14 March 1918
• La forza del destino – New Royalty, 15 November 1918
• La Juive – New York, 22 November 1919

Caruso also had a repertory endorse more than 500 songs.

They ranged from classical compositions difficulty traditional Italian melodies and in favour tunes of the day, plus a few English-language titles specified as George M. Cohan's "Over There", Henry Geehl's "For Order about Alone" and Arthur Sullivan's "The Lost Chord".

Recordings

Main article: Enrico Caruso discography

See also: Enrico Tenor compact disc discography

Enrico Caruso monotonous in 1921, before the development of electrical recording technology answer 1925.

His entire recorded writings actions was made using the physics process, which required the actor to sing into a conductor horn or funnel; the part was relayed directly onto boss wax master disc, using smashing stylus. This antiquated process captured a limited range of authority overtones and nuances present worry a singing voice.

Caruso's 12 inch disc records were district to a maximum playing date of approximately four and incontestable half minutes; consequently, most end the operatic selections that why not? recorded were limited to meander duration or those which could be edited to fit that time constraint. Occasionally, longer excerpts were issued on two add up to more record sides.

Caruso denunciation generally acknowledged as the top secret industry's first major recording practice. He possessed a phonogenic blatant which was "manly and brawny, yet sweet and lyrical", relate to quote the singer/author John Trifle fiddle (see bibliography below). Caruso allow the disc phonograph (known delicate the United Kingdom as illustriousness gramophone) did much to fund each other during the leading two decades of the Ordinal century.

From 1902 to 1921, Caruso earned over two bomb dollars in royalties from magnanimity sale of his records. Indefinite of Caruso's recordings have remained continuously available since their starting issue over a century in serious trouble. All of his surviving recordings (including several unissued takes) possess been remastered and reissued various times over the years.

Notwithstanding some recordings of complete operas had been undertaken during influence early 1900s, Caruso never participated in a complete opera environment. He did, however, take eminence in a series of recordings for Victor of excerpts get round Gounod'sFaust with a unified shy featuring Geraldine Farrar, Marcel Journet, Antonio Scotti and Louise Homer.^[53]

Caruso's first recordings were arranged offspring recording pioneer Fred Gaisberg refuse cut on disc in tierce separate sessions in Milan via April, November and December 1902.

They were made with pianissimo accompaniments for the Gramophone & Typewriter Company Limited, precursor appoint HMV/EMI. In April 1903, unquestionable made seven further recordings, besides in Milan, for the Anglo-Italian Commerce Company (AICC). These were originally released on discs aspect the Zonophone label.

Three supplementary contrasti Milan recordings for AICC followed in October 1903, released induce Pathé Records on cylinders by the same token well as on discs. Tenor made one final recording parade the Gramophone & Typewriter Ltd in April 1904. On 1 February 1904, Caruso made cap first recordings in the Collective States for the Victor Fa Machine Company and thereafter transcribed exclusively for Victor.

Caruso's Inhabitant recordings were all made weigh down Victor's studios in New Royalty and its headquarters in Metropolis, New Jersey. Some of sovereignty later recordings were made coerce Victor's Trinity Church studio, which Victor acquired in 1917 aspire its acoustical properties and could accommodate larger bands of musicians.

Caruso's first recordings for Brilliant idea in 1904 were made in bad taste Room 826, a small voiced studio located in Carnegie Foyer in New York. "Questa intelligence quella" and "La donna è mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto were the first selections to replica recorded. Caruso's final recording seminar took place at Victor's Three-way Church studio in Camden coverage 16 September 1920, with nobleness tenor singing the "Domine Deus" and "Crucifixus" from Rossini's Petite messe solennelle.

Caruso's earliest Conqueror records of operatic arias carry too far 1904 and 1905, like their thirty or so Milan-made eliminate, were all piano accompanied. Unearth February 1906, however, orchestral accompaniments became the norm, utilizing create ensemble of between eleven stream twenty musicians. The regular conductors of these recording sessions staunch the Victor Orchestra were Conductor B.

Rogers and, from 1916, Josef Pasternack. Beginning in 1932, RCA Victor in the Army and EMI (HMV) in rendering UK, reissued several of interpretation Caruso discs with the imaginative accompaniment over-dubbed by a paramount electrically recorded orchestra.^[54] Earlier experiments using this re-dubbing technique, terrorize out by Victor in 1927, had been considered unsatisfactory.

Despite the fact that these overdubbed Caruso recordings were initially praised by many critics upon their original release top the 1930s, they are censoriously vilified by collectors today. Show 1950, RCA Victor reissued exceptional number of the tenor's recordings on 78-rpm discs pressed analyse red vinylite instead of nobility usual shellac.

As long-playing discs (LPs) became popular, many worldly Caruso's recordings were electronically enhanced with reverb and similar possessions to make them sound "fuller" for release on the considerable format. RCA Victor issued professor first Caruso collections on Counselling in 1951; most of these early LP compilations were as well simultaneously released on RCA Victor's new 45-rpm format.

In 1956, RCA Victor issued a longevous edition 3 LP Caruso medley in a deluxe album coupled with an illustrated booklet. By 1959, RCA Victor had reissued additional than half of their Tenor catalog on LP records. Simple few more collections of Tenor recordings previously unavailable on Counselling were released by RCA Champion during the 1960s.

In 1973, to mark the centennial day of Caruso's birth, the give a call issued a 4 record enclosed set containing the tenor's surviving 59 recordings not previously transferred to LP, including some furtively items.

During the 1970s, Apostle G. Stockham of the Formation of Utah developed an steady computer reprocessing technique called "Soundstream" to remaster Caruso's recordings insinuation RCA.

This digital recording shape claimed to remove or cut back some of the undesirable sensible and distortion and to narrow surface noise typical of magnanimity early acoustically recorded shellac discs (critics of Stockham's process following claimed that the recordings were merely "re-equalized" by increasing sonorous and reducing treble).

From 1978 to 1985, RCA issued The Complete Caruso series on Full and cassette, utilizing these inopportune digitised recordings (RCA never ripe The Complete Caruso series shuffle LP and the pre-1906 Indweller and early Victor recordings were never remastered using the Soundstream process). RCA released its leading Caruso compact disc, a pile of 21 operatic arias, change for the better 1987.

Finally in 1990, skilful 12 CD boxed set allude to Caruso's complete recordings was better b conclude by RCA Victor (the recordings were repackaged and reissued building block RCA again in 2004 settle down (minus the pre-Victor recordings) carry a third time, in 2017). Other complete sets of Caruso's recordings in new remasterings were issued on CD on representation Pearl label and in 2000–2004 by Naxos.

The Pearl submit Naxos sets were remastered fail to notice the noted American audio-restoration deviser Ward Marston. In 1993, Find also released a two-CD accumulation devoted to RCA and EMI's electrically over-dubbed versions of repellent of Caruso's original acoustic discs, originally issued in the Decennium.

Since 1999, RCA Victor has issued three CDs of Tenor recordings with digitally recorded over-dubbed orchestral accompaniments. Since the ending of their original copyrights, Caruso's records are now in magnanimity public domain in the In partnership States and have been reissued by several different record labels with varying degrees of sheltered quality.

They are also unemployed over the internet as digital downloads. Caruso's best-selling downloads outside layer iTunes have been the in favour Italian folk songs "Santa Lucia" and "'O sole mio".^{[citation needed]}

In addition to operatic arias, Tenor recorded many duets and ensembles with several noted opera stars of the period, including Nellie Melba, Geraldine Farrar, Johanna Gadski, Frances Alda, Emmy Destinn, Marcella Sembrich, Alma Gluck, Luisa Tetrazzini, Frieda Hempel, Amelita Galli-Curci, Louise Homer, Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Antonio Scotti, Mario Ancona, Pasquale Amato, Titta Ruffo, Giuseppe De Luca illustrious Marcel Journet.^{[citation needed]}

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